


Smiles and Hearts

by schmetterlingstee



Series: Omertà [2]
Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Modern Day Crime Syndicate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 18:32:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16686727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmetterlingstee/pseuds/schmetterlingstee
Summary: Xingcai meets with Liu Shan and learns two surprising things about her lord and herself.





	Smiles and Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reachfan2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reachfan2/gifts).



> This is my first time writing for this pairing, I hope I did your request justice.  
> They're both a little younger here, I thought it would be cute for Xingcai to fall in love a little earlier on, without realizing the gravity of her feelings yet.
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
> (Again, English is not my native language, please bear with me~)

A deafening silence fell as Xingcai stepped into the great hallway. Some of the guards eagerly opened doors for her on her way to the young lord’s quarters. Her outfit was well assembled, her makeup flawlessly applied. But she carried the same menacing look her father was so well known for.

 

She often seemed more serious than other women of the clan, but this very morning she actually was in a foul mood. The previous evening, she had been expecting a certain young lord to show up for sparring. But in the end, he had not appeared.

 

Xingcai’s eyebrows wrinkled as she frowned. If it had been any other man in the clan, she would not have minded. Most men she had known growing up were sturdy and always eager to prove themselves. 

 

It was not them whose safety she worried about ever so often. As his personal bodyguard, it was her duty to make sure he was safe… and able to defend himself when she was not around. Since he carried the name of the Liu family, it was guaranteed he would have to make use of what she taught him during training at some point.

 

Liu Shan  was expected  to walk his father’s path and fill his shoes one day as heir to the organization. A vision he did not share with the rest of the family.

 

With their fathers being friends, Xingcai had known him since they had been children. Liu Shan had never been a fan of fighting, exercising or showing off in general. Many thought him to be a fool since what he lacked in physical strength, he was not able to make up with whit or a talent for strategies either.

 

But Xingcai knew better. Liu Shan often kept his true thoughts to himself and tended to just smile along during conversations that involved the family’s business. Many were blind to his true qualities and  quickly  overlooked that he was much smarter than he led on. But above everything, he had a kind heart.

 

When she stood before the great door that led to his quarters, Xingcai sighed and took a deep breath. Despite that she had been stood up, she cared too much about Liu Shan’s wellbeing to be  truly  furious with him.

 

“My Lord.” She announced herself as she opened the door.

 

Much to her surprise, Liu Shan was standing by the great table by the window,  fully  dressed. But it was still obvious that he had overslept. His hair was not tied up into a bun, but instead, it hung  loosely  over his shoulders, still wet from the shower.

 

“Oh, good morning.” He greeted her with a soft smile. “I didn’t expect you to drop by this early. “

 

Xingcai walked by him to take a brief look out of the window into the gardens before she spun around and spoke “Actually it is almost noon. I figured you would have been up much earlier after getting such a good night's sleep. Since you disappeared so early last evening…” she said and gave him a knowing glance.

 

Liu Shan understood and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you… I’m sorry for making you wait in vain.” He said and tried his hardest to not meet her eyes. “Something else came up.”

 

Xingcai sighed. “I hope it was worth it. Before you ask, I didn’t tell anyone you skipped training again. But the least you could do the next time is letting me know. It’s rude to make a lady wait.” She replied.

 

Liu Shan sighed and nodded. “I will, I’m sorry.” He said, his head lowered, and Xingcai realized she had sounded a lot more serious than she had intended. There were times when she wished to come off as more easygoing, like Yinping for instance. 

 

But Xingcai shook off the thought. She had her duties to fulfill, there was no time to waste by worrying about trivial things. She cleared her throat and handed Liu Shan a document. “Anyway, your father wants you to look over these reports and choose something to look into…”

 

There were certain corporations and establishments under the Liu Clan’s ‘protection’.  But at times depts were not paid, promises were not kept… which was when the higher ranked members of the families got  personally  involved  . ‘ _To teach those folks to respect the hands that feed them_.’ As her father liked to say.

 

Liu Shan’s smile wavered, and he placed the document on the table without reading any of it. “To tell the truth, I’d rather not. You remember the last time…” he looked to the carpeted floor and his hair fell over his shoulders. “After getting blood splattered into my eyes, I’d like to do something different.”

Xingcai nodded along to what he said. The last time had in fact been an execution call, a particularly ugly case which she too hoped to forget. “I understand. Well, are some collection jobs on there as well. “

“No, I mean  entirely  different.” he paused, as if not sure how to express himself. “I want to take a step away from everything.”

 

Xingcai watched him wander across the room, towards a portrait of the Liu family.

 

“Our parents build this empire to bring order to the chaos out there. If we don’t do this kind of work, someone else, much less benevolent, will. Your father cares about his people.” Xingcai spoke  absentmindedly  . She had memorized this response by heart. It was what she had  been taught  ever since she was a child.

 

Liu Shan brushed his fingers over the painting and  quietly  muttered “But there are other people . People who get hurt because of what we do. I’m aware I’m not told about everything. But I know about the money laundering, the loans, the brothels, the smuggling. There’s no one benefitting from that but our clan.”

 

He turned around, and for the first time, Xingcai saw the fire of confidence flashing in his eyes. “I can’t walk this path. I know there are better ways.”

 

For a moment Xingcai didn’t know what to say. She had not expected to ever hear Liu Shan speak from such conviction. Let alone, him defying his father’s and everyone else’s expectations. But she concluded that she liked it.

 

“As your shield, I’ll follow you wherever you decide to go.” She said after a while and glanced over the other documents on the table. “I take you’re already working on something?”

 

Liu Shan returned to his usual self and scurried over to her. “Well, you could say that.” He said and studied her expression. “You’re not going to tell my father, are you? Not that I’m afraid of what he’ll say, I’m used to being the family disappointment. But I’d rather keep this a secret for the time being.”

 

Xingcai turned her head to meet his eyes and felt her lips twitch in a nervous manner. “Of course I won’t. I’m serving you before everyone else,” she said. 

 

Liu Shan gave her a radiant smile “Thank you, Xingcai. I’ll make it up to you sometime. Now, there are some investments I need to take care of. I’ve also thought about hosting a fundraiser within the next month, I could use some help with that…”

 

Xingcai listened as he went on about what else there was to take care of, but she got distracted by his gleaming eyes and lively smile a couple of times.

 

And then there was her pounding heart inside her chest. She placed her fingers against the neckline of her gown and tried to ignore it. This feeling was unbecoming of her and she did not understand where it had come from.

 

Liu Shan stopped and gave her a surprised look. “Huh?”, he pushed his loose hair behind his ear. “Is there something on my face?”

 

Xingcai felt her cheeks turn hot and she quickly turned to hide her embarrassment. “No! I was paying attention… Your face is fine.” She muttered.

 

It was, in fact, more than fine. Seeing Liu Shan beaming with determination was something she was not used to. Had he always been this handsome? She couldn’t remember.

 

Of course, she had always liked him in a way, they had grown up together after all. Liu Shan had always been a friend to her, despite his lack in bravado and hunger for adventure. But until recently she somehow had failed to notice that the timid boy she once knew had grown into a young man.  Only at this moment, it became  painfully  obvious to her that they weren't children anymore.

 

“Xingcai?”

 

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face Liu Shan again. “I’m sorry, what were you saying before?” she  quietly  replied and tried her hardest to meet his eyes.

 

Liu Shan gave her a friendly nod. “Well, there is an event coming up this weekend. I’m going to meet some investors and possible business partners. Would you like to  accompany  me-?”

 

“Of course, I will. It is my duty to make sure you are safe.” Xingcai answered  bluntly  without thinking. ‘There you go again…’, she thought to herself and sighed.

 

Liu Shan played around with a lock of his hair. “Actually… I was going to ask something else.” He smiled  shyly  , “I meant would you like to  accompany  me as my date?”

 

A soft blush appeared on his cheeks, which was nothing compared to Xingcai’s complexion. She could tell from the heat of her head that she had grown completely red by now. “Huh?”

 

Members of the organization had tried to court her on many occasions. But Xingcai had never accepted any of their advances. By herself, or  simply  because her father had scared them away.

 

_Her first date_. But did she even own the right gown to wear?

 

She wasn’t the type to shy away from things or get frightened  easily . Of course, she liked Liu Shan, so there was no reason to recline. But as she thought about going out with him, her knees began to buckle.

 

Liu Shan’s smile  slowly  faded, as she had not answered him yet. “I’m sorry if I went too far-“

 

“Not at all.” Xingcai reached for his hand. “I would like that.” She said in a quiet voice.

 

Liu Shan gazed at her in surprise for a moment, before he took hold of her hands. “I’m glad to hear it. In fact,  I think  I’ll be more confident with you by my side.” He said and gave her a kind smile.

 

Xingcai returned the smile.

 

_‘ I feel  _ _stronger with you around as well_.’, she thought to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> ... to be continued!
> 
> These two are such a lovely pairing, I'll definitely come back to their story at some point.  
> There is still a disapproving family and other clans which might try to get in their way after all.


End file.
